Hofstra Masquerade Theater Presents the Musical “Carrie”

Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY … The musical Carrie will be performed in all its gory glory at Hofstra’s Emily and Jerry Spiegel Theater, May 3-5, 2013, by the student-run Masquerade Theater Company. Show times are 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets will be sold at the door for $5. For more information call the Department of Drama and Dance at 516-463-5444.

Based on the thriller by Stephen King, Carrie is best known as a horror movie classic about a girl with telekinetic powers who is an outcast in her school and tormented by the popular kids. At home she is terribly oppressed by her mother who is a religious fanatic. When the teasing and bullying are taken too far at the school prom, Carrie and her terrified classmates discover the full extent of her powers, which turn deadly.

Director Jack Saleeby is a freshman at Hofstra, who was encouraged by his fellow students to step up when Masquerade was exploring projects to perform this spring. Jack says, “Carrie was a Broadway flop in the 1980s, but last year it had a limited off-Broadway run that was very successful. I fell in love with the cast recording and the story. I pitched it to the group, the members voted and I got the ok. The rights for the show only just became available this January – this means Hofstra will be one of the first universities to performCarrie.”

Jack says that he sees a lesson in the show– “what can happen when you push someone too far. I actually think everyone in the show is a victim. The difference between Carrie and the other kids in the show is that Carrie has no friends, no one to support her. The other kids are cruel, but they don’t know any better. ”

This semester at Hofstra some student organizations have teamed with the organization Rachel’s Challenge, which presents empowering programs and strategies that help students and adults to combat bullying and allay feelings of isolation and despair. The programs are based on the writings and life of Rachel Scott, the first student killed at Columbine High School in 1999. Jack believes the cautionary tale of Carrie falls into line with the sentiment promoted by Rachel’s Challenge.

Jack, who hails from Connecticut, says his freshman year has completely met his expectations. “Hofstra was one of the first schools I applied to, but I was also looking at and auditioning for a number of other drama programs. I actually hadn’t really given Hofstra much thought. Then just days before I had to decide which school to attend, my mom said, ‘Let’s go visit Hofstra.’ Well, after that visit my mind was made up. The drama department felt like a family. Everyone was so warm and welcoming. And the campus was beautiful. I knew by the end of the day that this was where I wanted to go.”

Hofstra University is a dynamic private institution of higher education where more than 11,000 full and part-time students choose from undergraduate and graduate offerings in liberal arts and sciences, business, engineering, applied science, communication, education, health sciences and human services, honors studies, the Maurice A. Deane School of Law and the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine.
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